Chargers add DT Da'Ron Payne in Mel Kiper's latest mock draft

ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. mocked former Alabama defensive tackle Da’Ron Payne to the Chargers Wednesday morning. Here is what Kiper had to say in his Mock Draft 2.0 on Payne.

As I wrote in my Mock Draft 1.0, stopping the run has to be a priority for the Chargers in 2018. Their 4.9 yards per rushing attempt allowed ranked last in the league. Los Angeles has two young star edge rushers in Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram, but it has to improve on the interior. Payne popped in the College Football Playoff and even had an interception and touchdown catch in the semifinal win over Clemson. The 6-2, 319-pound Payne had only three career sacks, but he consistently beat his man, even if it didn’t show up on the stat sheet.

“The Chargers have a desperate need for a versatile defensive tackle who can make an impact against both the run and pass and Alabama DT Da’Ron Payne would be able to do just that Day 1.

At 6-foot-2 and 308 pounds, Payne has a prototypical build for the position but doesn’t lack in the athleticism department despite his hulking frame. The former Crimson Tide product boasts impressive moves and can move laterally with ease. This lateral movement shows up in both his pass-rushing game as well as against the run. Payne’s disruptive nature led to him commanding regular double teams, which deflated his statistics — but freed up his teammates to put in work.

He could play a lot of different roles in the NFL. Payne has the size to be a zero-technique (which means he is lined up directly over the corresponding offensive lineman), but also the familiarity and the athleticism to play as a three-technique (lined up on the outside shoulder of the offensive guard). Los Angeles could use that versatility to move up and down the line in different defensive packages.

Payne was named First Team All-SEC by the Associated Press, Defensive MVP of the Allstate Sugar Bowl and the College Football Playoff National Championship Game and a Second Team All-American by the AFCA and the coaches.

Through his junior year with Alabama, the former Crimson Tide amassed 102 total tackles (39 solo), five tackles for loss, three sacks, five passes defended and one interception.”